The Contra Costa Times‘ Tony Hicks got an early listen to Metallica’s Death Magnetic, perhaps because–as he admits–he gave St. Anger an A= in print, although he goes to great pains to say that he’d definitely give that record a downgrade now. Hicks notes that Death is certainly better than the band’s 2003 effort–”back to powering fast, central riffs, occasionally breaking ranks and tempo for some Iron Maiden-ish breakouts”–it’s lacking in vocal hooks and cohesion. We’ll see when it comes out, but I should also note that Hicks’ opening, which states that he heard the record while at “Metallica HQ” in California’s tony Marin County, immediately conjured up a mental image of this picture, and it took about three or four re-reads of the actual review for me to shake it. [Insert Foot via Blabbermouth]
Early Buzz Dept.
11:30 AM on Tue Aug 26 2008
By Maura
11 Comments
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@Whigged: Would you want to be judged on yours?
Always have! :-D (And like me, he has a very unfortunate smirk.)
@Ned Raggett: You just need to add the facial hair now!
@Whigged: I suppose I could transfer it from my head to my chin. But I’m too lazy.
Prior to this guy, I’ve only seen that facial hair style on professional baseball players, who are the masters of bad facial hair.
Okay, it doesn’t help at all that this is Hicks’s photo on the review site:
Other column entries include:
# Hicks: Wake up, America — there’s a lot of fakery going on
# Man’s eternal debate: Is pizza better than sex?
# Tony Hicks: Who’s old? I can cramp up with the best of them
# And Another Thing: If Julia Child spied for our country, why can’t an Olsen twin?
# Hicks: I’ve been dragged kicking and screaming into the world of (shudder!) golf
# Hicks: Tonight, it’s just my kid and me — and Clint Eastwood
@Ned Raggett: Perhaps he was hand-picked by James Hetfield because of his taste in facial hair.
A whole column devoted to the question of whether pizza is better than sex? I can edit it down to one word and that word is “NO”
@Maura Johnston: This I can believe.
@Ned Raggett:
I can understand judging the guy on his past (terrible) articles - but on his picture? Come on Ned - are you serious? Would you want to be judged on yours?
@Whigged: Agreed. Though Mr.Hicks does have lovely eyes of which he should be very proud.
He looks like a thin Patton Oswalt.